And above all things, be considerate!

Whenever I go to public consultations or attend a workshop hosted by a local Council, Business Link, RDA or even the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) I get told that the public sector is prepared and eager to do business with SMEs and local business. I have read numerous articles and releases encouraging people like me to look for work with the nation’s biggest spender. As evidence of their munificence they (the various public sector bodies) provide us with some invitingly named web portals. Enter The Chest , Supply2Gov , Compete For.
Aside for the obviously unfriendly design and layout of all three, both supply2 and Compete For work pretty well although as an operation funded by our taxes, I find it staggering how often the Supply2 bunch try to get money off of me. Supply2 will give me free access to all opportunities in my sector within my local authority area. To date, not a single opportunity has arisen. A number however have presented themselves in neighbouring boroughs however I have to take out a rather costly subscription to get access to these. Also the councils maintain their heavy purchasing bureaucracy where I am sure they employ people whose only task is to obfuscate tender documentation so that only former public sector buyers can become successful public sector bid writers. This must be a result of some union decision to ensure the allocation of well paid bid writer positions in the private sector and healthy consultative opportunities for retiring buyers.
Rant over! The real reason for me bringing this up was one of the portals in particular got to me in a big way. To put it short it’s a pig to use! The Chest this is the worst case of over engineered non function that I have seen in my life, it reminds me of a Russian WW2 submarine, unattractive, unfriendly, robust and ineffective. Reigning this discussion in further; on the subject of design, most of us should be familiar with the concept of form following function. Many lazy designers or in some cases bad designers have used this as an excuse for creating a less than elegant product that does its job admirably. I can think of some business software I have used in the past as a fine example of this. In some cases this is viewed as sensible austerity, passing the savings in design time in to the consumer.
The concept of sensible austerity is a complete nonsense and I don’t think anyone is fooled. There are examples of this all around us. Take for example brown brick council houses, high-rise estates and some other relics of socialist Britain. These solutions offered comfortable living solutions to the destitute and those less well off but wrapped it all up in such an appealing facade that they literally exude waves of depression, squalor, debasement and various antisocial pathoses.
There do exist some very up market items that could be and sometimes are called Haute Couture that are in fact triumphs of form over function. In some cases these items are barely able to fulfil the function for which they were intended (I hesitate to use the word designed). In other instances the elaborate design does little or nothing to enhance the product and can in some cases hinder its most efficient utilisation in this case I reference the Lamborghini Reventon which is in no way more capable than the standard Murciélago on which it is based. These are rare items and usually have very little impact on the lives of anyone other than the select few who can afford to buy them.
What most people prefer is balance. Balance indicates thoughtfulness. Thoughtfulness gives people a sense of being important. If people think that corporations/institutions have given real consideration to their needs and desires that will impress them and generate brand loyalty, the type of brand loyalty that people like Apple, M&S and possibly your local butcher enjoy because of their customer first attitude. Good, not expensive or extravagant design is how you demonstrate that you care about your customers.
At Reckless New Media we always strive to give our customers a sense of wellbeing and the notion that their brand, their corporate identity and their future web sales are in good hands. The tool that we use to do this is consideration. We pay a lot of attention to our customers business; we look into the needs of their clients, their selling style and corporate culture so that we can understand their requirements. This we feel has enabled us to create a host of very effective websites that enable our customers to generate new business from the internet and to foster lasting relationships with their web based customers.
Can you think of any examples of good customer first branding and design? I would welcome your suggestions in the comments box.

Fish, Chips and Exceptional Curry

I took some well deserved rest last week and went out to Abersoch and Pwelli on the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales. It was a beautiful sunny day and my wife my friends and I spent much of it on the beach soaking up the sun. In town (Pwelli) as is typical of most British seaside towns there were a plethora of fish and chip take-aways. The thing that struck me about all of these organisations was the fact that they all have really clear and compelling branding. All of these shops do what they say on the tin, customers know instantly and from far away what they do and once they get a whiff of them , they realise that they want it.

The entire fast food industry provide excellent examples of clear and efficient branding - Think McDonald's, Subway, Dominoes, Starbucks and even your corner Chinese. They all have the same components, clear charismatic visuals that work hand in hand with sensory stimulation.

For a small company, it is really important to create a compelling visual, that tells people (prospective clients) what your business is all about. This is something that can easily be overlooked. It is important that the branding is compelling to it's target market but also iconic. All of the best brands are iconic, even the local chippy has the fish symbol, for McDonald's its the golden arches and for KFC it's the Colonel. Can you create an icon?

What about the sensory/emotional response? With fast food, the most powerful form of ambush marketing is the smell, it permeates the high-street and reaches punters at a subconscious level. How can you reach your customers subconscious? That is the challenge for brand builders in the 21st century. In a saturated market full of competent competition, how can you protect your customers from the budget priced come latelys and the competitor who moves in next door?

We cannot all use smell or even one of the other 4 senses. We can all however use the 6th sense, the sense of satisfaction. I know how cheesy that sounds but if you think of yourself as a consumer, what is your single largest reason for not taking up a budget priced product or service?

Usually it is fear of product failure or inferiority. Other times a concern about hidden costs may also be a factor. Many premium brands get a lot of mileage from lifestyle advertising promoting the satisfaction they bring their clients. satisfaction can come from the quality of the product but it also comes from quality of service.

Incorporate satisfaction into your brand. Make your staff's smiley faces and impeccable manners a brand attribute. Train anyone who answers the telephone to do so professionally and in a friendly engaging manner. If you are able to do this, the sense of satisfaction will work for your brand the same way as the sense of smell does for the chippy.

I was inspired by an excellent dining experience at an Indian Restaurant in Matlock, the service was exceptional and the food was delightful. I spent much more than I planed to and that to me is an example of good marketing!